Analysis of A Sculptor
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
As the ambitious sculptor, tireless, lifts
Chisel and hammer to the block at hand,
Before my half-formed character I stand
And ply the shining tools of mental gifts.
I'll cut away a huge, unsightly side
Of selfishness, and smooth to curves of grace
The angles of ill-temper.
And no trace
Shall my sure hammer leave of silly pride.
Chip after chip must fall from vain desires,
And the sharp corners of my discontent
Be rounded into symmetry, and lent
Great harmony by faith that never tires.
Unfinished still, I must toil on and on,
Till the pale critic, Death, shall say, ''Tis done.'
Scheme | ABBACDEDCFGGFHI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (27%) |
Metre | 10010101001 1001010111 0111110011 0101011101 1101010101 1100011111 0101110 011 1111011101 11011111010 0011011001 1100110001 11001111010 0101111101 1011011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 578 |
Words | 106 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 15 |
Lines Amount | 15 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 459 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 103 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 164 Views
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"A Sculptor" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10497/a-sculptor>.
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